Garment with abdominal control panel



April 13, 1965 H. STEINER 3,177,876

GARMENT WITH ABDOMINAL CONTROL PANEL Filed Nov. 14, 1962 WMMUBE v M M INVENTOR.

Harry Sreiner ATTORNEY United States Patent() 3,177,876 GARMENT WITH ABDOMINAL CONTROL PANEL Harry Steiner, 130-14 Cronston Ave., Bell Harbor, N.Y. Filed Nov. 14, 1962, Ser. No. 237,535 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-547) The present invention relates to a garment and more particularly to agarment having extra control in the abdominal area.

A ubiquitous female figure problem is the protruding abdomen. In many cases women wear garments, such as girdles, solely to eliminate this bulge because the ideal image calls for a flat abdomen. Girdles, of course, cannot be made completely rigid. They must allow freedom of movement and comfort for the wearer. In an effort to achieve comfort along with abdominal control, manufacturers have made flexible garments which have a front panel which is only vertically stretchable and which is not stretchable horizontally. This construction permits bending and necessary body motion but restricts the tendency of the abdomen to relax forward. However, it does not offer a complete solution to the problem of abdominal control. Furthermore, in practice it has been found that the vertically stretchable front panel eventually weakens and stretches horizontally and thereby reduces the abdominal control.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a garment which will have superior abdominal control throughout the life of the garment.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a garment which will provide such control with comfort to the wearer.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a garment which will be decorative in appearance.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a girdle of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a back view of the girdle of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a front view of still another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIG. 1 the garment is a girdle of the regular variety; that is, the lower edge It is open. Extending from the waistline 12 to the lower edge is a front panel 16. The front panel 16 is tapered at its upper and lower portions and widens out to its largest dimension 17 slightly above its vertical centerpoint. In this embodiment the outline of the front panel 16 has convex arcuate side edges 18, 19 from the waistline 12 through the largest dimension 17 to the lower edge 10. The main portion 20 of the girdle is made of the usual materials, such as a two-way stretch fabric, while the front panel 16 is made of a material which is extensible vertically only. This combination provides for all necessary body movement with comfort.

To achieve the desired abdominal control, there are provided a pair of nonstretchable abdominal panels 22, 23 that extend in criss-cross, layered relationship across the front panel 16 and are secured only at each side edge of the panel 16. With this arrangement, the front panel 16 is free to extend vertically but horizontal movement is substantially prevented. In fact, when the panel 16 stretches vertically, ere is additional lateral support introduced.

It has been found that having the abdominal panels 22, 23 of generally triangular shape is particularly satisfactory. They are attached to the side edges 18, 19

mately two-thirds of the front panel 16 at its central por-' tion. They may be made of any non-stretch material, such as net as shown in the drawing. The panels may be made more decorative by. embroidery and, edging.

. The use of two panels of generally triangular shape offer the advantage of avoiding puckering and distortion ofthe fabric during the normal activities of the wearer when one side or the other of the garment may rise above the other. In such case, the two panels may shift relative to one another and accommodate such rise without appreciable pucken'ng or loss of abdominal control.

The invention maybe embodied in other garments, such as corsets, corselettes, or parity girdles. An illustration of this is shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the vertically extensible front panel 26 is also tapered at the top and the bottom and reaches its largest dimension 28 slightly above its vertical centerpoint. The front panel 26 has side edges 30, 31 which are concave arcuate lines from the waistline 32 to the largest dimension 28 and slightly convex from this point down to the crotch 34. Abdominal panels 36, 37 of generally triangular shape and non-stretchable material are arranged in crisscross fashion in the same manner as those in the embodiment of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3, which is a rear view of the .girdle of FIG. 1 shows the main portion 20 of the girdle and a back panel 38 which, like the front panel, is made of a vertically extensible material. illustration of the invention as adapted for the longleg panty girdle. Once again, there is the front panel 40 of vertically extensible material which tapers at the top and the bottom: Abdominal panels 42, 43 of generally isosceles triangular shape, made of a non-stretch material extend across the front panel 40 and are secured only at each side edge thereof.

It may be seen then, that the present invention provides a garment which is comfortable to wear yet exercises especial control throughout the area of the abdomen. The extra control does not in any way interfere with bodily motion and is achieved without imparting any rigidity to the garment.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.

What is claimed is:

1. A garment having a vertically extensible front panel having first and second side edges and a pair of generally isosceles triangular abdominal panels of a nonstretch material, said abdominal panels extending in layered rela: tionship across the central portion of said front panel and being secured only at each side edge of said front panel, the base of the first triangle being secured at the first side edge of said front panel and the apex of said first triangle being secured to the second side edge of said front panel and the base of said second triangle being secured at the second side edge of said front panel and the apex of said second triangle being secured to the first side edge of said front panel whereby a firm control is provided substantially to limit horizontal extensibility in the abdominal area.

The girdle shown in FIG. 4 is an.

2. A garment as in claim 1 in which said abdominal panels are of a net material.

3. A garment having a vertically extensible front panel having first and second side edges and a pair of generally isosceles. triangular abdominal panels of a nonstretch material, said abdominal panels extendingin layered relationship across said front panel'and being secured only at each side edge of said front panel, said abdominal panels covering approximately two-thirds of the front panel at the central portion thereof, the base of the first triangle being secured at the first side edge of said front panel and the apex of said first triangle'being secured to the second side edge of said front panel and the base of said second triangle lbeing secured at the second side edge of said front panel and. the apex of said second triangle being secured to the first side edge of said front panel whereby a firm control is provided substantially to limit horizontal extensibility in the abdominal area.

' 4. A garment having a vertically extensible front panel,

said front panel being tapered at its top and bottom por- 20 of concave arcuate lines from the waistline to the largest dimension and slightly convex from the largest dimension to the bottom portion, and a pair of nonstretchable abdominal panels extending in layered relationship across said front panel and being secured only at each side edge thereof to side edges of said front panel whereby a firm control is provided substantially to limit horizontal extensibility in the abdominal area.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,203,020 10/16 Leopold et al 128545 2,743,449 5/56 Sheldon 128.-537 2,860,640 -11/58 Clark 128545 2,870,769 1/59 Scheinberg l28542 2,897,823 8/59 Scheinberg l28554 2,953,134 9/60 Kaupp 128548 DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. ADELE M. EAGER, LOUIS R. PRINCE, Examiners. 

1. A GARMENT HAVING A VERTICALLY EXTENSIBLE FRONT PANEL HAVING FIRST AND SECOND SIDE EDGES AND A PAIR OF GENERALLY ISOSCELES TRIANGULAR ABDOMINAL PANELS OF A NONSTRETCH MATERIAL, SAID ABDOMINAL PANEL EXTENDING IN LAYERED RELATIONSHIP ACROSS THE CENTRAL PORTION OF SAID FRONT PANEL AND BEING SECURED ONLY AT EACH SIDE EDGEOF SAID FRONT PANEL, THE BASE OF THE FIRST TRIANGLE BE ING SECURED AT THE FIRST SIDE EDGE OF SAID FRONT PANEL AND THE APEX OF SAID FIRST TRIANGLE BEING SECURED TO THE SECOND SIDE EDGE OF SAID FRONT PANEL AND THE BASE OF SAID SECOND TRIANGLE BEING SECURED AT THE SECOND SIDE EDGE OF SAID FRONT PANEL AND THE APEX OF SAID SECOND TRIANGLE BEING SECURED TO THE 